Barbara Hillen until 2027 Central Equal Opportunities Commissioner

"I am very pleased that Barbara Hillen was unanimously re-elected, because she has convinced with her work," Ihne said. "To me, her vote is very important to feel good about decisions on issues of equality and diversity and to see if we are on the right track." He said he trusts her a lot because she is non-ideological and argumentative. Among other things, Hillen advises the Governing Board.

Hillen: Equality is a task for society as a whole

In her work, it is particularly important for Hillen to bring men along as well. "Equality often has the label that it's only something for women. But equality is a task and challenge for society as a whole," she stressed. She added that people must always be aware that there is a "gender bias." "We need to sensitize people in leadership roles to this, so that this realization is incorporated into their decisions," the equal opportunities officer said. One of the ways she plans to tackle this major task is through training, she said. This sensitization is important in science, for example with regard to appointment procedures, in teaching or in the development of research questions.

New equal opportunities concept in the works

Another major project that Hillen wants to get underway in the next few weeks is the new equal opportunities concept. This must be submitted every five years, as stipulated by law. The paper sets out the goals and measures for the coming years. She wants to formulate them in the same way she has approached her task in recent months: realistically, pragmatically and feasibly. In doing so, Dr. Barbara Hillen also wants to involve her deputies more closely and network them with each other. At the H-BRS, she is joined by ten decentralized equal opportunity officers, two in each department, as well as two immediate deputies from the Equal Opportunity Commission. In the future, she wants to work more closely with them as a team.